Reviews (page 5 of 8)
A really eclectic ride today as my first real introduction to Sparks. At its best, its like Abba with swagger. At it's worst, it's the hideous closer 'Equator' that I could barely finish. I just can't quite figure out if one cancels out the other. Overall I found it pretty good fun more often than not. Three-quarters of it, I'm happy to listen to again so I guess that makes for a positive impression overall. I was surprised to realise this was a man singing though. He has one very strange singing voice.
Never listened to much of their songs outside of a fringe hit or two in the 80's. They always felt too out there and odd to enjoy, I don't like tongue in cheek rock much. Fairly well listened to album but if the lead song, "This Town Ain't Big Enough..." (22M listens) is the most popular I don't think this one is gonna leave a lasting imprint on my brain. It's creative and frenetic but a bit too avante garde for my palate. It felt like a musical or an ensemble stage production to me. Lots of layers and catchy at times but not the kind of catchy you just sit around and enjoy. I felt like the pace and rhythm were the same all the way through and that all the songs resembled the previous one. It made me anxious, it was unrelenting. I will say there is some standout guitar work on the entire album. I have no idea how this album made the Top 1001. I can't even fathom why. It has no hits, no influence that I'm aware of, no radio songs, no one says "gosh I love Sparks", nothing - no reason to be listed here. I didn't enjoy this even a little bit. 1 star
Meh.
It's energetic and dumb fun, just a joy to listen to this. Especially side 1 of this record is really captivating and full of hits. This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us is one of the best singles of the 70's. Sparks is an all around bizarre band and I'm glad they are included on this list. The newspaper article that was included with my Sparks record says they are addicted to candy, which explains why the entire album sounds like a sugar rush.
Хорошая музыка
This town and Amateur hour ++ Fun and unique Didn't like the whole thing Cool cover
Not bad
I’ve heard about Sparks for the last few years but I still didn’t think I was going to fall head over heels in love with them. There’s an ironic detachment they have. But the music is great. 5/5
Yes! Sparks is a really fantastic and influential band. Well worth a deep dive into their body of work. For a good start, watch the Apple TV Doc. This is a band with both talent and quirks that actually work well together. A fav.
Intersting listen. Some of it was enjoyable.
Boring
Like Queen and Elton John if they got trapped in a fever dream.
I like how theatrical and idiosyncratic this is. I can only commend them for doing something so artsy and out there, and to really own it. For the most part I enjoyed this and had a nice time, but it did seem to bleed into one a little bit, especially the longer it went on.
Bouncing energetic and a bit much
Pretty fun
A very cool record. Strong notes of Yes, Queen and Heart. Rad stuff.
Un disco extraño. Me parece muy bien grabado, interesante el registro de la voz del cantante. Pero de esa época prefiero estilos de rock más progresivo. No pude hallarme en estilo glam rock de la propuesta.
At first, I thought I was listening to ABBA, but then I remembered that I had read that this was a dude singing. Anyway, I had no idea what to expect from this record, but I found myself really enjoying it…some of the tunes are quite catchy. This is somewhere between a 3 and a 4 for me, but I will round up to four stars.
Definitely thought this was a girl singing for multiple tracks. Album cover tripped me up. Pretty good, very unique, a bit theatrical, and the asyncopated pronunciation and rhythms were pretty neat
meni je ovo genijalno
Poruka samom sebi :slušaj više ovaj bend
Bit over the top avant garde for me...
Until about 6 months ago, the only thing I knew about Sparks was this Town Ain’t Big Enough… and that they are bit quirky. Then I listened to this album for the first time time. I love this album. It’s punchy, it’s upbeat and it’s ever so slightly deranged. Such a vibe! Some of the songs are similar in sound but, for me, that doesn’t detract from its off kilter charm. I really like it a lot and listen to it often.
I'll give it to Sparks for being sober enuf to know: 'It's a lot like playing the violin / You cannot start off and be Yehudi Menuhin.' B/c otherwise, tho far more playful than Queen, this record is just as guilty of get-you-nowhere theatrics as any Queen release is. The best tracks, heralded by 'Thank God It's Not Christmas,' have an effective sense of humor that enhance their catchiness, and some of the lyrics are hilarious: 'You mentioned Kant and I was shocked / You know, where I come from, none of the girls have such foul tongues.' But if I'm to judge a record based on how much I'd like to put it on rotation, this isn't a topper for me: tho very creative, especially the jazzy 'Equator,' Sparks is too phony-baloney to be a product I feel.
3/5 it was really good
I actually LOVED this album. So much that I listened to more of the Sparks. It’s hard not to have mad appreciation for a band that I feel like paved the way for bands like Queen. Fringe 3-4 but a 3 is a disservice imo
Just not very good. The vocals are grating, the singer doesn't enunciate at all and it overall feels like it's trying to be Bowie without the charisma or musical talent.
Kind of liked the start of it but then every song started blending together into a very similar sound, and I didn't like it enough to keep it interesting
Was not going to listen at first considering the groups reviews but I'm glad I did. I love the circus feel this album brings, fun is the best way I can describe it. The guitar sounds on "Thank God It's Not Christmas", rips. It's a cut, but they remind me a little of Arcade Fire, just a little! Wrap it up with a live performance at their prime, I liked it.
Nope. finishing this album should make you eligible for saint status.
This one was not for me. There is some great musicianship throughout many of the tracks but nothing really grabbed me.
1. This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both of Us - 7.8/10 2. Amateur House - 8/10 3. Falling in Love with Myself Again - 7/10 4. Here in Heaven - 6/10 5. Thank God It's Not Christmas - 7.4/10 6. Hasta Mañana, Monsieur - 8/10 7. Talent Is An Asset - 8/10 8. Complaints - 8/10 9. In My Family - 8/10 10. Equator - 8/10 11. Barbecutie - 8/10 12. Lost and Found - 8/10 13. Amateur Hour - :( 8/10
5/13/25. I had no idea what to expect. This was a mix of glam rock and pop, somewhat humorous to me but I enjoyed it, the songs are a lot of fun! It also has that 70s power pop sound similar to The Cars.
Kind of reminded me of Supertramp a bit? Well anyway, it didn’t really grab me.
#584. Delightfully strange. I liked it, but at the same time it's probably not something that I'll listen to again. 4/5: neat
3 - decent. Like queen and abba had a baby
75/100
A beautifully dramatic perfomance from a band thqt theatre and humour as well as musicianship are the touchstones. This is what Queen would sound like if I liked Queen. This Town ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us, is the song that I've known and loved but there are other wonderful songs like Amateur Hour, which was also a minor hit and Here In Heaven to name a couple. 4 stars
Pretty silly and fun, decent music for driving around.
Ehhhh I can see some of these in a playlist but it didn’t move me as an album
sparks was a total unknown for me. this was a fun listen, but i had 0 idea what was being said at any time
I'm not sure why I was expecting the cover photo to be depicting the artists, maybe because we've had enough global music in this project to believe it. The music was Fine but it also kind of felt like.......I guess I could believe that a lot of the tracks were kind of songs pitched to 70s-80s glam/new wave type bands that they didn't wind up using? 2.5
the heavy rock that was developing in the 70s mixed with the folk flute of the 60s makes for a wild combo that's so progressive for its time and really worked for this album. Definitely an album id like to revisit in the future and listen to on headphones.
N0pe
Utterly unique and a big inspiration for Queen. I’ll never forget when I first heard this record and I thought “this sounds a lot like Weird Al’s ‘Virus Alert’”. Sure enough, Weird Al honored Sparks with a stylistic parody of the band's idiosyncratic sound. Even if their music isn't my favorite thing to hear, the Mael brothers are cool dudes whom I'll always admire.
I tried to compare Sparks to some other bands and I can’t really make it work. Maybe if Queen and Guided By Voixes put on a cabaret show. They are distinctive, weird bastards and they seem incapable of pouring weird and catchy music into the world.
Curious that I listened to this album a couple of days ago. Was a real surprise to hear such art-prog / art-rock album from 1974 that I did not know about. Actually an excellent album
It insists upon itself.
If I just heard this on the radio, I'd have sworn this was a Siouxie and the Banshees album. I had no idea Siouxie had a predecessor in style and sound, I just thought of her as completely original. The more you listen, the more you find these stepping stones and pre-cursors that show how music evolves rather than popping out of a solo creative genius. Another tip o' the hat to the 1001 albums project for getting me to hear something so eye opening.
Hmm I was not expecting to enjoy this as much as I did
3/5
Theatrical and bombastic and quirky without being gimmicky. An all-time alt-pop-glam-rock classic.
It's a good album, though not really my style of music. There's one song in particular that is very pleasant to listen, the most popular one in the whole album. I'm generally not disappointed though, originally I was thinking females voices were singing, as well as it takes curiosity to notice that the japanese girls on the album are both men. Funny.
This is a pretty fun and playful album. Lives somewhere between Cheap Trick and The Dickies. 3.5/4
Really dug this one. It's like glam rock + Cardiacs songwriting. Engaging and quirky, but still has hooks. 4/5
Interesting
I had previously only heard the first song on this album, overall I thought it was a good album, not really my kind of music, but still happy to listen to it.
Very strange. Loved the range if vocals and so many sounds. Seems very unique for 1974. Lots of similar sounds to some of the bands I love across the 60s, 70s and 80s. One I think I will revisit for sure!
On the first track, I was pleasantly surprised - the style was unexpectedly cool and original. I’d never heard of the artist before. By the second track, I realized that it might quickly wear out its welcome. That largely proved to be true, at least on the day I listened; I still appreciate the creativity, though. This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us 3.5
I originally gave this a 10/10 but changed my rating as I lost interest in listening to it but I still think this albums really good. Imo glam rock is a hard genre to pull of well and Sparks definitely does it well. 8/10 Favourite: This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both of Us Least Favourite: In My Family
Absolutely chaotic and not my typical jam but I couldn't help but like it
This album jammed! A little self-indulgent but not overly so. Enjoyed this one.
Entertainment and fun
Never heard of these guys before, and wasn't expecting much going by the cover. This had my attention from the start. Proggy, theatrical, glam rock. It's weird and goes right up to line of being annoying or stupid, but never crosses it. I got curious and googled only to find out that it's a male singer, which I can hear now that I know.
Sparks, the 🐐
Sometimes crunchy and frantic, sometimes playful. Not too serious
This is a weird one! It’s shrill and artsy, but it’s also fundamentally pop music. Gonna rate this a 4 because these dudes are just plain fun, and because this is pretty far out for 1974. Also ‘Amateur Hour’ is a great song.
Sparks is so clever and funky and cool - it blows my mind that this is from 1974!! A very creative album, and I had a lot of fun listening to it.
Hi book, I'ma judge you by your cover... Oops! totally wrong there. Have a good day... This is why we don't judge things by their outward appearances.. This album dances right up to the edge of ridiculous and then winks. Big piano/synths/organ, glam guitar, and punchy drums. It’s super theatrical, but never trips into parody. There's a sort of velvet rhythm engine running underneath all the eccentricity, and it works. I didn’t expect to like this (based strictly on cover art), but here we are. Spins: 3 Playlist Additions: - This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us - Amateur Hour - Falling In Love With Myself Again - Here In Heaven - Thank God It's Not Christmas - Talent Is An Asset
2 Songs in, ist es mir zu crazy.Tiny Tim Energy. Ein halbes Album später bekomme ich auch Bowie und Oingo Boingo Vibes. Aber keine guten. Fühlt sich wie ein Fiebertraum an. Respekt, dass die beiden bis heute Musik und neue Musik machen aber ist leider gar nicht meins. Here in Heaven ist cool.
Excellent pop songs with an element of glam rock, at times there's an ABBA feel to them. Enjoyed the record start to finish with the first song being the stand out
Now THIS is what "weird music" should be. Sparks are a band that I knew basically nothing about prior to listening to their acclaimed 1974 album Kimono My House. All I really knew was that Weird Al's "Virus Alert" was a style parody of their music. I think this is the first time I've mentioned Weird Al in an album review. I love that man. This Sparks album is pretty cool too, I guess. The music here is good! I'll start with the one thing that I'm conflicted on; the vocals. Russel Mael has a very distinct vocal style. He kind of sounds like a cross-breed between Geddy Lee, David Byrne, and a woman, with a hint of Mark Mothersbaugh. In fact, if there's anything I've heard that I could compare this album to, it would be Devo. Honestly though? I think I prefer this. Oh yeah, I think the vocals fit the music very well. The overall musicianship is solid too. These guys aren't like virtuosos or anything, but they definitely know what they're doing. I mean, just look at Ron Mael's face when performing. That man is locked in. The writing might be my favorite part of the album. It's quirky, but still meaningful in a way, with plenty of variety to boot. It's kind of like Talking Heads in a way, which I am always okay with. Overall, I can see why someone might not like this it. That person is not me though. I happen to really like my first impression of Sparks. I think they're pretty cool! Light 4/5.
Was surprised to enjoy this
This album was kinda cool, This town always made me laugh when I was younger.
Great fun
It’s just not for me
3.5
If you threw Styx and Abba in a bag and chucked the bag into a river of sweet Brandywine you'd have this. I don't hate it.
that was a fun ass album.
This is exactly the kind of stuff I was hoping to find with this challenge. Hadn’t heard of this before but that was a lot of fun.
Unique sound. Very musical, but not my taste at all.
fun listen, flows pretty well
Well made but not my cup of tea
Couldn’t finish, very little glam rock is my thing. Unfortunately a painful 4 songs but maybe I don’t have character
Very creative and enticing. It rocks, but it moves at such a pace that it's hard to remember what you just heard. It feels like every song has the same amount of energy as the last. Whether that's a good thing or not is up to you.
At first I thought this was a worse version of Queen. Then I paid more attention and realized I overrated Queen. Don't care for this glam stuff, but they know what they're doing. Anyway, pretty obvious influence on a LOT of stuff that came after and pretty incredible vocalist and lyricist, but I really just do not give a shit. Coward's 3 because the talent is undeniable.
This low key slaps
Weird album, didn't like it.
It's sort of like a full album of Virginia Plain which sounds like a lot of fun but can be a bit exhausting to my ears. However, when I focused in on the lyrics rather than the slightly strained falsetto it did become a lot more fun.
Now THAT was cool and fun!
Harte ABBA-Vibes, Ohrwurmpotential, solide Bassarbeit. Favoriten: Falling In Love With Myself Again Here In Heaven (dat Bass) Equator Fetzt, kommt auf die Flohmarkt-Vinyl-Liste
The cooler ABBA
??? interesting tunes?
Pretty good, I enjoyed it overall.
It was interesting hearing an album that I’d never heard of before which clearly influenced some albums I really like. However, I think there may have been too much whimsy involved for me to enjoy most of the songs.
Sounds like ABBA on amphetamines. Surprisingly good!
Perhaps wasn’t a good one for walking to work but would try again while cooking
That was a lot of fun. I’m glad this was recommended.
Nope
Fun and different.
Interesting to start off but it gets repetitive. By the end I was sick of his voice.
Sparks are one of my all-time favorite bands that I discovered while going trhough this very book back in the day. Initially, I enjoyed this album well enough but I didn't place it among my favorites, but it had a strange allure that kept me coming back a few times. It was only in 2015 when Sparks released their collaborative album with Franz Ferdinand, FFS, that this album truly clicked with me, and so I went on deep dive and also ended up loving almost all of their discography. Truly unlike anything else out there, though it is possible to draw some stylistcs comparisons to other glam rock artists of the era. However, Sparks' sound is a tab bit weirder, a bit wittier, with wilder melodic choices and musical theater aspirations. Too bad there's only one of their albums on the list because they have released many great ones in various different styles, including New Wave, Disco, Synthpop, Euro-dance(?), and whatever Lil' Beethoven is. If you enjoy this, go on deep dive like I did, it's well worth your time. Key tracks: This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us Amateur Hour Falling in Love With Myself Again Talent Is an Asset In My Family
So much energy and fun.
Not my usual. But it's quirky and interesting. Album 10/1001
I absolutely love this album! I'm so glad I got it here today. I discovered them about 3 years ago. I was driving and on the radio it was "This Town...". It was so weird but fascinating that I had to find out Who this "girl band" was lol. I though the girls on the cover were the band members and I remember thinking how much I liked her voice. Soon I found out the band was actually 2 guys lol. And as Roger Taylor from Queen said "the band with the guy that has a Hitler moustache" haha. Since then, I listened to this album non stop for a couple of months. and now, it's still on my top list of albums I play regularly.
I'm not sure how to evaluate this one, I generally liked it but wasn't able to figure out a rating. I'm listening to it again right now and I still like it, but I feel like in five years I'll come back to this album and love it. I'm rating it 4 stars for now- sorry, future self. Favorite track: "Equator," but that's probably because the Severance season 2 finale just came out and it had a line about meeting at the equator.
It was a fun album. It has some good songs and some that are kind of silly. I really liked the guitars, they sound very creative. The instruments themselves are nothing special, but they are well played. The vocals are also good. My problem here is that the album sounds too average. It lacks flavor, it lacks seasoning. I'll give it 3 stars.
313/1001
Discovered this band a little while ago, and really like their energy.
Overall: 3.4/5 Favorite song: This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both of Us Notes: individually, I like most of the songs. As an album, there’s not nearly enough variety to keep me interested for the entirety of it. Reminded me a lot of some of queens work
Звучание хорошее, но это звучание на протяжении всего альбома, ну такое
I can hear Bowie a lot in this record. Frog Eyes as well. Zany!!
really fun album that sounded like the cousin of Queen
this was really fun to listen to, i really enjoyed it, would listen again
3.25
I'd never heard of Sparks until seeing trailers for that documentary. But looking them up, there's a lot of favorite artist's favorite album energy going for this one. I need to watch that doc now - Kimono My House is so fun!
ok
6/10
Love the classic song This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us, as well as Amateur Hour and Hasta Manana Monsieur. Overall a good album.
Don't know if I'd buy it or listen to it on my own unprompted but it is crazy how far ahead of its time this sounds. It's like at least 5 years ahead.
Idiosyncratic. That's the word. I remember "This Town..." from period. I thought it was "odd" then and I still think it is odd. The album is 50s show tunes meets rock. One could level the same accusation at Queen, but they carry it off better. I don't hate this... I am not sure that I like it either, that's the problem. 2/5.
It's labeled as glam but I got a lot of 70's prog vibes. It actually went really hard but ended with a thud
9/10. This is a wonderfully original album, and it is filled with fun. It is quite unique.
Lively and theatrical, campy and undeniably high-energy (as amphetamine-y a record as ever freneticated itself up), but all a bit much for one's tastes. Does sound sorta advanced / new wave-y for 1974 but probably just suggests how rooted in glam that ill-regarded post-punk genre actually was. Just because Morissey liked it doesn't make it great.
04/03/25 This wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be.
I enjoyed listening to this album. It has a grooving vibe that is easy to get into. I had never listened to the Sparks before.
This album absolutely kicks ass. Especially in the first half. The energy on this very welcome as it’s silly and so much fun. It’s my first exposure to “glam” aesthetics (outside of David Bowie, of course) and it has certainly left enough of an impression on me to want to find out more about this era/sub genre of rock. Current acts today like Last Dinner Party are heavily inspired by this sound and are among some of my favorite current artists, so no surprise here that I enjoyed it as much as I did.
This was definitely interesting despite me never even hearing of the band before. Would be back to listen again!
Fun albumevery song is like a little adventure
first listen i liked this a lot and imma have to do a deep dive
You can't begin to understand how biased I am in favor of this album. Hell, of Sparks as a whole — legitimately, they're one of my favorite bands of all time, and I don't know how much hearing only this one album does them justice. Like, in a career that featured swerves like the Moroder produced NO. 1 IN HEAVEN and the minimalist chamber music of LIL' BEETHOVEN... They're your favorite band's favorite band, and not without good reason. Heck, they're one of Weird Al's favorites, and that's good enough for me. I mean, to me, their appeal is pretty simple: there's a strong English cleverness and theatrically to them. The kind of wit and quirkiness you'd get from a They Might Be Giants record, but with a harder, more bitter edge to it. Look at... Gosh, I wanted to name only a few songs, but I could name pretty much all of them except "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us" and "Amateur Hour". Like, the cruel twist surrounding "Here In Heaven"; the double-negative think of "Thank God It's Not Christmas"; the familial clinginess and exploitation of "Talent Is An Asset"; the bleak scope of "Equator"; the black comedy in the final verse of "Complaints"... Just the imagery that "In My Family" evokes with the line "Gonna hang myself from my family tree." And of course what makes how English this all is even more impressive is the fact that Sparks is actually from California. Yeah, they're American. Even well knowing that you'd never guess they were. But, seriously, as someone who loves the bizarre places They Might Be Giants goes, the sophisticated but bitter wit of Sparks is incredibly up my damn alley. It helps, too, that the actual music is great across the board. Like, behind only ZIGGY STARDUST and HONKY CHÂTEAU, this is my favorite glam rock album. "Amateur Hour" might not be as literary as the rest of the songs here (it's about people who're new to having sex), but if there ain't a damn good reason why it ended up being one of the biggest hits from the album, only behind "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us". And **that** song — **gawd**. It's **track one**, and it's maybe the most impressive thing here for its progressiveness? Like, for real, how dare The Rubettes keep it from being a UK number one. I've never even heard their song, but I know for dang sure it ain't half as good as "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us". And to point this briefly: yeah, Russel Mael sounds like that. I absolutely get why people wouldn't be into it, but, hey, to me, it wouldn't be Sparks without it. I **like it**, dang it. If I can dig Claudio Sanchez sounding like a woman, Russel's no problem — as if there's a problem with sounding like a woman, either way, goodness. This has to be one of the easiest 5's I'll ever give, up there with ABBEY ROAD, WISH YOU WERE HERE and, I'unno, MY AIM IS TRUE. Sparks isn't for everyone, but if you can find an appeal in them, they're absolutely worth your time. They're one of the greatest cult bands of all time, and this is the album that kicked it off for them. If somehow you found this review without having heard the album first, go ahead and listen to it, and then the rest of their discography. You won't regret it. You can't begin to understand how biased I am in favor of this album. Hell, of Sparks as a whole — legitimately, they're one of my favorite bands of all time, and I don't know how much hearing only this one album does them justice. Like, in a career that featured swerves like the Moroder produced NO. 1 IN HEAVEN and the minimalist chamber music of LIL' BEETHOVEN... They're your favorite band's favorite band, and not without good reason. Heck, they're one of Weird Al's favorites, and that's good enough for me. I mean, to me, their appeal is pretty simple: there's a strong English cleverness and theatrically to them. The kind of wit and quirkiness you'd get from a They Might Be Giants record, but with a harder, more bitter edge to it. Look at... Gosh, I wanted to name only a few songs, but I could name pretty much all of them except "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us" and "Amateur Hour". Like, the cruel twist surrounding "Here In Heaven"; the double-negative think of "Thank God It's Not Christmas"; the familial clinginess and exploitation of "Talent Is An Asset"; the bleak scope of "Equator"; the black comedy in the final verse of "Complaints"... Just the imagery that "In My Family" evokes with the line "Gonna hang myself from my family tree." And of course what makes how English this all is even more impressive is the fact that Sparks is actually from California. Yeah, they're American. Even well knowing that you'd never guess they were. But, seriously, as someone who loves the bizarre places They Might Be Giants goes, the sophisticated but bitter wit of Sparks is incredibly up my damn alley. It helps, too, that the actual music is great across the board. Like, behind only ZIGGY STARDUST and HONKY CHÂTEAU, this is my favorite glam rock album. "Amateur Hour" might not be as literary as the rest of the songs here (it's about people who're new to having sex), but if there ain't a damn good reason why it ended up being one of the biggest hits from the album, only behind "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us". And **that** song — **gawd**. It's **track one**, and it's maybe the most impressive thing here for its progressiveness? Like, for real, how dare The Rubettes keep it from being a UK number one. I've never even heard their song, but I know for dang sure it ain't half as good as "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us". And to point this briefly: yeah, Russel Mael sounds like that. I absolutely get why people wouldn't be into it, but, hey, to me, it wouldn't be Sparks without it. I **like it**, dang it. If I can dig Claudio Sanchez sounding like a woman, Russel's no problem — as if there's a problem with sounding like a woman, either way, goodness. This has to be one of the easiest 5's I'll ever give, up there with ABBEY ROAD, WISH YOU WERE HERE and, I'unno, MY AIM IS TRUE. Sparks isn't for everyone, but if you can find an appeal in them, they're absolutely worth your time. They're one of the greatest cult bands of all time, and this is the album that kicked it off for them. If somehow you found this review without having heard the album first, go ahead and listen to it, and then the rest of their discography. You won't regret it.
As a They Might Be Giants fan who's always heard great things about Sparks, it's pretty cool to finally listen to this group. Solid 5 Stars.
I’m at a 5. I don’t know if it’s a 5 necessarily because of the music itself being a big bombastic knockout set of tracks – there are certainly standouts like “Thank God It's Not Christmas”, “Hasta Mañana, Monsieur” & “Equator”, but all in all, at a pure musical level, I wouldn’t classify this into the big top tier of any particular genre it’s going for. This is at a 5 because it’s a consistently great set of tracks, that does a fantastic job of blending a lot of musical genres (i.e. pop, glam rock, prog rock, blues, etc) & artists (i.e., Queen, Elton John, Pet Shop Boys, The Beatles, Green Day somehow, Genesis, etc) into a coherent sound that feels unlike anything else in 1974 that I’ve heard, one that vaguely transcends genres to be its own, totally unique thing, full of elements easy to pick out, but hard to put together. It fully succeeds even though it could totally have crumbled under the pressure to make it all fit together. If I have any knocks, it’s oddly in the mixing – I could be wrong about this, but I think there’s a really subtle wall of sound effect in the mix that stopped the clarity of everything from feeling as clean as it could, and it rubbed me the wrong way throughout. It added a bit of depth, and gave the percussion a really cool feel, but it comes at the expense of… something. My best guess is that the extra “space” in the mix feels emptier, and adds a slightly cavernous feel that’s present, but never acknowledged. I can’t exactly place it, but it just bit at me that nothing felt quite as clean as it could. Perhaps that’s an intentional choice? It would certainly add to the avant-garde feel of it all – this album constantly feels like it’s one bad note away from having a track fall apart, but it balances itself throughout, and acts as a sort of triumph for complete experimentation. So, yeah, I’m at a 5. It’s a really fun album, and perhaps with enough time, I can really appreciate these tracks more for just how technically sound they all are – this has to be a complex album to write sheet music for, and performing it is a different story, especially if they did any of these live. They all have good stories, they keep the band on their toes with all the tempo changes and pauses, and as a listener, I think the layering tricks in the mix, even with that “cavernous space”, is still pretty unique for the time. It’s a divisive album – I can totally hear how this might be a 3 for “average, weird rock that doesn’t know what genre it wants to be & nasally annoying vocals” or something, but I’m at a 5 because I admire how big of a swing it took and how well it stuck the landing. May joy and whimsy live on, I guess.
Reminds me of the circus album I got from this a little while back (The United States Of America?). It's ok, don't know the hype. 3* Enjoyed: lost and found
De har gjort mycket bra genom åren. Här är det lite upp och ner.
Love this one. Thank God It's Not Christmas is so, so good!
It’s fine, I know there’s a lot of history with this band but it didn’t stand out to me much
Strangely surprised
Muy glam rock. Me gusta.
My final album of the book’s albums. I can’t believe it. This project has been amazing and I’m excited to pour through the user submitted ones next. I will also be continuing the spirit of this project by making a list of bands/albums that I want to listen to that are new or unfamiliar to me. This album was interesting. 3.5?
It was ok.
Way ahead of its time
a very bright and creative offering that still is fairly avant garde today despite being created in the 70s. Definitely want to listen to this band more.
no thanks
The music is okay, and there is nothing to complain about. But I cannot fathom the singing. Way too artificial for my taste. It's done because it's "art", but not for the reason that the music needed it to be that way.
One okay song and the rest weren't great
Fun, pop-y, interesting music. The garbled vocals take it down in quality for me though.
Very much in the same vein as Supertramp. Not necessary bad, but also not very good. Very in the middle. 2.5/5.
This has a real kooky fun quality to it. It really reminded me of the ABC album we listened to early. Overall, I was lulled to boredom by too many of the tracks to rate it highly. I’ll listen again
A couple of the songs were decent but overall not really my style
This one is slowly growing on me. Favorite track: Thank God It's Not Christmas 3.5/5
It's okay, but nothing where I would say "oh, yeah, you got to listen to this"
Despite its cult acclaim, Kimono My House misses the mark entirely. The albums theatrical glam rock sound is so cringey in moments, that it almost hurts. This record, and the band itself tbh, feel more like a novelty gimmick than an album worthy of an essential listen. rating: ⭐️ [9/100]
From the moments I heard the first few seconds of the first song I knew I’m gonna hate it. But then I listened some more. This sure is some quirky artsy rock of the type this list absolutely loves. But this one actually works! We got weird quasi-operatic vocals, polyrhythmic keyboards and yes-like bass, but it all forms together to a cohesive whole. This album is fun, emotional and exciting while being downright weird and that’s beautiful.
Don’t like. 1
A weird album that I wish I would have listened a bit more carefully. I enjoyed what I heard despite how distracted I was, will definitely be revisiting. Giving 3/5 now but may increase the rating upon relistenimg
That was a fun album. I listened to it at least three times yesterday. I'm going to keep it on my phone so it can come up on the shuffle.
I’ve been looking forward to a Sparks album popping up on the list, and this one did not disappoint. "This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us" kicks things off with a bang. It’s dramatic, theatrical, and easily one of the strongest songs in Sparks’ entire catalog. That falsetto? Iconic. After a full listen, I can confidently say this album is pure glam rock fun. It’s not weighed down by deep meaning or heavy themes, but that’s part of the charm—it’s an effortlessly enjoyable listen. Every track bursts with eccentric energy and quirky melodies. Favorite song: This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us Least favorite song: Nothing stood out as bad Album artwork: Funky and fitting for the music
Unik på en dårlige måde. Ingen glimt i øjet, og bare et træls bekendskab.
Det lyder som soundtracket til en musical jeg ikke har lyst til at se
Sounds almost like Television but much, much earlier. While I'm not into this album, I picking up the influence this would have on later post-Punk and new wave. 3/5
I knew this was iconic and yet I’d never listened to it. It seemed that ABBA, Rush, and Morrissey definitely did. I am in love.
super enjoyable pop rock
fun quirky weird, I feel like this in '74 paved the way/ served as inspiration for many other musicians but I don't have the brain power at the moment to talk about it - but I think of Pizzicato 5 in Japan and Souxie, Berlin etc - I wouldn't go back to this record but it was fun
The vibe is very much Queen-ish. A fun ride with a lot of twists and turns.
Arriving from either a Ziggy Stardust interstellar cabaret or 70s LA and landing somewhere between Roxy Music and Rodgers and Hammerstein - Sparks deliver an album whose audience is unclear for the time of its release but makes a bit more sense now. Pop - yes. Popular. Hard to imagine. At least in America. I have touched based with Sparks several times over the years and you really never know what you're going to get. Always fun. And a little off. This album is no different. Track one starts off with a bang and then they venture wildly. Not exactly up my alley but still one star better than Steely Dan.
Impressive vocals. The record feels really one dimensional after a while
This one grew on me. I still am not a fan of the vocals, but it works in a weird way. Still can’t say I’d recommend it, but I do kind of get it.
This was fun
Not really digging it. I don't really like Glam Rock anyway, and this definitively wasn't doing anything for me.
Glam-rock with artful value
So much fun
Glam. Rock. Vocally pretty interesting, kind of freddie mercury esque vibes with such an unwavering falsetto. I got more into this one as it went on.
Holy shit. When this first started I was think WTF? Then I found myself digging the vibe and the sound. Now I'm wondering if I'm OK. This was like ABBA on cocaine. You don't want to admit you like it, but you did. I'm still really not sure what to think about this album, but I did listen to it 3-4 times. I think next time we have a party, after the beers and weed kick in, I may have to put some of this on to see how folks react. What can I say, I thought this was fun. This is the kind of album I would have never thought of listening if it weren't for this site. 3
3.5 Fun fact - I used to be coworkers with the former drummer of this band. Not during this era of their career though. My actual introduction to this band, however, was through my cousin Emily (shoutout!) She hosted a party at one point or another unofficially titled Kimono My House, inspired by this album, which prompted me to go and check Sparks out. Sitting here years later, I can confidently say that I still have no idea what the hell to make of this group. Give them a Google if you haven’t already - the band consists primarily of two brothers, one being the most flamboyant, androgynous glam rocker you could imagine, and the other straight-up having the looks and demeanor of a mortician… and yes, their music is just about as goofy as you would expect from a combination like that. However, I think I like it? It’s weird, my mileage seemed to vary with each listen. The first two tracks are both really solid (This Town especially), but half the time I seemed to enjoy my subsequent listen all the way through, and the other half of the time I started growing annoyed somewhere in the middle (which isn’t good for a 36-minute album). So, that made this album really hard for me to rate - I’m going to land on 3.5 for the time being, but I honestly think this could be higher or lower for me depending on my mood. I’ll give it this - it’s definitely one of the more unique albums I’ve heard so far on this list.
I don’t really like this but by god I respect it
I came, I listened, and when it was over that is all I did, there was nothing memorable about the experience, but I definitely had it.
Fun and eclectic. Quite enjoyable.
3.5/5
An eccentric take on pop. Good times
Some bands are best enjoyed in small doses, while others can be overwhelming over the course of an entire album. For me, Sparks falls into the former category. If I listened to one song a day, I might rate this album much higher, but taking in a full hour of their music at once feels like too much to digest.
This sounds kind of like if Joel Gray playing the Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret started an American rock band. And I don’t like it.
I watched the documentary about this band and ended it with a deep dislike for them. This album didn't change my mind. As with the music I heard in the documentary, they sound like a worse version of bands I like.
This album reminds me a lot of Queen. There's a song or two here that would be okay to listen to again. But, like Queen, there is no way I want to listen to a whole album of it. And the highs aren't as high as Queen's are, so there's even less to want to listen to it again.
This was fun and manic and weird.
This was an interesting, glammy album that did not take itself seriously and I am all for it. Stand-out: Falling in Love with Myself Again
Trying too hard to be David Bowie but lacking the musical depth and clarity of story telling.
It’s funny the opening song is the first single and I’m not sure why it was a hit. This album is interesting in that it’s always interesting to hear the culmination of many music decisions to create a piece of art. In reading the wiki for the band and for this album, I was surprised to see how many musicians cited this as their favorite record. I think for me, this is a situation in which I would have found this record impressive if I had heard it when it was released. Listening to it now I hear more of the people they inspired, like Bowie, DEVO and Queen. So it feels like a cheap imitation instead of something original and innovative.
I enjoy quite a bit of Sparks, but it's tended to be a selection of songs rather that whole albums. This was really enjoyable. Bombastic, witty, almost circus like music at times. Loved it.
I've really come round to Sparks in the last couple of years, and it's nice to finally visit the album which This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us came out on. Big sounds here, pretty maximalist. Glam is the word people use, but this doesn't feel like the kitsch of glam rock, it feels to me more like deliberate art. Nice.
I’m not exactly sure what I just listened but I can tell you it wasn’t good music. It’s like Sparks threw a bunch of ideas at the wall — falsetto vocals, glam rock riffs, weird theatrical flair — and somehow decided to keep all of them, even the bad ones. The whole thing feels like a joke I wasn’t in on. The songs are all over the place, the vocals are borderline unbearable, and nothing sticks. It’s chaotic in a way that’s more annoying than interesting, like being trapped in a musical written by aliens trying to imitate Earth pop culture.
Honestly thought this one was kinda fun. Would give it 3.5 if I could
I try to be critical of these albums, but it’s hard when you make something this weird and fun. Excellent songs, just a great time all around. I’m gonna have given 500 of these albums a four or five when I’m done with this.. geez
At first I had my doubts but as I got deeper the music got better. This is actually quite good!
Feels like a hidden gem of sorts. Sparks not getting their due.
Very fun album to listen to. Was teetering on a 4 but forgot about it quite soon after so a solid 3. Never 'got' Sparks as a whole but can appreciate why people love them
This caught me off guard. Never heard this band before and was pleasantly surprised, aside from Equator which went on too long and got super annoying.
Glorious glam baroque pop that was way ahead of its time. Complex and rewarding.
Ein für seine Zeit sehr modernes Album mit stark avantgardistischen Elementen. Diese sind einerseits interessant, machen aber andererseits den Hörfluss kaputt. Vielleicht muss man sich mehr in das Album reinarbeiten aber bei einer Eintagesanalyse ist eher durchschnittlich als überdurchschnittlich. Mein Favorit ist „Falling in Love with myself again“.
9/10
This is not all bad, but there's not a lot that's good here. They can write songs and play them, but over-dramatic 70s fare is not my idea of a good way to spend 43 minutes and 11 seconds.
Strange, colourful, arch, clever, and absolutely irresistible. My copy has a couple of bonus tracks that are better than almost anything any other band puts out. There's not a weak link here, not a wasted note - nothing. It's as close to perfect as any glam rock or art rock ever got. "It's a lot like playing the violin / You can't start off and be Yehudi Menhuin" - possibly my favourite couplet on the album. Go find your own!
Love it. Some truly stunning moments on here, really infectious vibes. Thank God it’s Not Christmas is a favorite. Can’t wait to listen to more Sparks.
I didn’t know who the Sparks were, so I thought I was getting a Japanese female duo, but ended up disappointed when I realized it was just two white dudes. The album was fine, but there were a couple times where the singing really started to annoy me. By the time it ended, I was grateful
Like, quite good! Hidden gem for me, but their other albums are a bit better.
did noty enjoy
very good
Fine. There’s a few good songs on here but it wasn’t quite enough for me to bump up my rating to four. Although I really enjoyed the recent documentary about Sparks that was made by Edgar Wright. Maybe I haven’t found the right Sparks album for me yet? Or maybe Sparks is another example where their strengths are best highlighted in a best of album?
A favorite of mine for a while. I scored this one on vinyl early on in my vinyl collecting, and it became a default favorite. Fun and funny, and great songs.
An album I can’t argue with being in this list. A delight. It’s only been the past few years that I’ve heard Sparks. But they rock.
Not a single woman OR. Japanese person
3.8 - Thought this was gonna fall off after the first song but actually quite fun
So surprised I liked this so much. Campy and cheesy but so much fun. Fave Tracks: This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us Here In Heaven Equator 4.1/5
# Playlist track - This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us # Notes - A wonderfully strange and fun album. - It sounds like some early glam rock + pop mix. It's a bit *too* weird at times, but I really dig it. - There are interesting sounds in pretty much every track, and discovering them for the first time was a really joyful thing. Also, the singer is a dude? LOL! - Had never heard about Sparks before. Nice recommendation! I'm looking forward to hear other albums.
Can't stand this one.
A very quirky and original album, where quirkiness quickly changes from its biggest strength into by far biggest annoyance. It's actually a pretty common description in regards to many records on this list - first song bringing this innovative and amazing style to the forefront, but by third song you're just slowly waiting for it to end. And by sixth song you just give up. Very much original, very much not listenable for longer than 5 minutes.
Before I listen to this I just want to say that it’s very silly that I got the album with Thank God It’s Not Christmas on literal Christmas Day. This is a fun album, but I don’t love it. I feel like this is a 4 from those traits. That’s the end.
Cute.
Really want to like this more. It's just a little too busy, and the melodies feel underdeveloped. Clever lyrics though, and interesting singing and music that scrapes greatness but never grabs ahold of it.
This is a very fun album that doesn't take itself seriously at all. A couple of standouts but not a no skip. Standouts: This town ain't big enough, hasta mañana, thank God it's not christmas
Als ik de reviews bekijk lijkt het erop dat ik iets mis, want ik vind het helemaal niks. Een musical/theater-achtig stuk glam waar ik vooral hoofdpijn van krijg. Een soort ADHD Bowie. Druk gedoe. Ik ga hier niet teveel woorden aan vuil maken. Ik zal het op 2 sterren houden omdat er wel muzikaliteit in zit.
Interesting, spirited, fancy!
Surprised how good this was considering it's fifty years old. I never took Sparks seriously.
2.5
4.5
7.4 ★★★½
Don't particularly like glam rock and hate the vocals. 2 stars
Sounds like some hyperactive theater kids forgot to take their ritalin and made a glam rock album. 1.5 stars.
Kimono my house but don’t invite Russel Mael. His squally, super-theatrical dentist drill vocal stylings basically wreck the joint. Otherwise this would have been a fairly solid bunch of spiky and angular 70s glam pop. This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us and outro of Equator two main peaks of annoyance. 2.5 stars.
First track is a banger of course. It's so fun to discover bands like this. Really fun, original rock.
Oooh this one rocks hard. Forgot how much I liked this one too. Not all songs tho. Oh well.
Nothing outlandish. The voice it too high for my liking.
Whatever this is, I love it!! 5
Hate this band so much. It's like Yoko had a love child with Abba and the writer for Cats the Musical.
Ok. Now I know where Chappell Roan came from.
That was so annoying. I am not a Chappell Roan fan, pretentious-ass, but she’s so much more tolerable than this.
Glam rock is a genre I can confidently say is not for me. Too much falsetto and cabaret feel.
Energetic and fun.
Kimono My House? Wohl eher Kimono my fucking goodness het das Album spass gmacht! Und so viel Spass wies zum lose gmacht het, so Spass muss es au mache ih sonere Band zsii, sich kei Regle zsetze und mal nach em Tagesgfühl druflos zspiele. Spassspassspassspassspassspassspass! Vier lachendi Timonos für die spassige Funke
Isch würki nöd lääs zum lose. Ahstrengend und nervig. Sorry sparks. Die zwei Haupt-Bandmitglieder sind glaubs e Mücke, e Staubsuger und werded de no joint vo zwei stimme einere gitarre und einere Dröm 2 gnervti Bachpfeiffen
ai voll vergesse zum en review schribe hans am flughafe gloset woni uf de flug gwartet han und chan sege es isch nöd es flughafe ufbruch album han den wohl oder übel müese switche naja
kimono my ass also grundsätzlich gseh ich mich scho zu vereinzelte passage mit de boys während em choche chli im chreis tänzle... im grosse und ganze hed mich de ganzi gspass aber zu fescht anes musical erinneret und das chund mer also gar nöd is huus wämmer aber trotzdem mal en sponti flashmob dezue choreographiere? eifach für de fall sorry aber vo mir gids dasmal nur 2 wurfstern
Found it more annoying as it went on. Was looking forward to a few songs being over. Instrumentally pretty decent but the vocals wore on me. Very eh bordering on unpleasant
4.5 more accurately .
..
Decent enough if you like psychedelic rock with falsetto vocals. Some hits, some misses for me but not bad at all. 3.5 really as it's got some interesting things going on.
Jeg kan vagt huske at have hørt navnet Sparks før, og jeg har helt sikkert hørt This Town Ain’t Big Enough før, men jeg tæller det stadig som en ny opdagelse og nok den bedste, jeg har haft indtil videre. Jeg ville have gættet på, at det her album kom ud i midt-80’erne, lyder virkelig forud for sin tid
Lå og vuppede mellem 4 og 5 men der er jo ingen dårlige sange og det er bare pissekreativt og sjovt. Fremragende plade. Gav mig lyst til at høre hele deres diskografi og se den der Edgar Wright film om dem.
Your favourite bands favourite band. It's insane that this is 50 years old.
Great surprise. Had never heard of this band but this is a very high energy, fun, glam rock record!
I refuse to believe that Sparks existed until that documentary came out, and then everyone *pretended* like they’ve just known about them for 40 years. I worked in a record store back home for 7 years with multiple other music snobs. Been surrounded by white hipster douchebag bandmates for 15 years. Nary a *word* of this band’s existence. Then, this documentary comes out, and all of sudden, every fucking jackass I know with a mustache is all, “Oh yeah, Sparks! OBVIOUSLY!” And before I know it, these paid fucking actors have created this elaborate hoax of a *50-year career* that everyone can point to and I DON’T BUY IT. 2.5/5
No private session used. This whole album had a frantic, energetic style that was exciting at first then a bit grading after a while. Reminded me of Queen, but without the contributions from other members to balance things out. Looked forward to it ending as it was hurting my ears.
2 nice songs rest was more of the same
Nope.
Interesting and good
Really like the eclectic vibes!
A really bizarre listen. Songs will move between goofy to catchy to wild to incomprehensible in the span of 20 seconds, multiple times. While I respect the creativity that went into the album, it doesn't really work for me. Some of the songs do stand out, but this almost feels like circus music to me. Top tracks: Here In Heaven; Hasta Manana, Monsieur
# Album Name: Kimono my house # Artist: Sparks # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: This town aint big enough for the both of us is a cracking tune. Great start to the album. Amateur hour is another gem. Then its pretty average from there in. The first two tracks just about to save this from a 2. Id give this album a low 3. # Top Tunes: This town aint big enough for the both of us / Amateur hour # Would I listen to it again? Only the first two tracks.
Really enjoyed this one. TTABEFTBOU is a classic but the rest of the album definitely holds its own.
Fine
relisten, but i've been a fan
Crazy album. Ten seconds in I was already to call it a day and turn it off. But I want to be true to the experience and kept listening. Glad I did. What a completely strange, unique experience. Crazy since it was released in 1974, definitely not representative of the music at the time. And after reading their bio and finding that Sparks is composed of two brothers? Mind blown.
поняла что глэмрок это когда не знаешь мужчина поёт или женщина. вообще намного веселее чем другой глэмрок что мне ставили. что-то возможно даже запомнится. ТРИ ЗВЕЗДЫ
A Glam and Prog Pop mix. Odd vocals, but is catchy. Give it 4 stars, as it surprised me.
Never heard of this before. it was not too bad.
No me gustó en nada.
You either love Sparks, or you hate Sparks. I can't decide which group I fall into.
- okaaaay, was haben wir denn hier!? - Habe vorher noch nie von Sparks gehört und war skeptisch, als ich Millions Bewertung gesehen hatte.. Aber Holy Shit, was ein geiles Teil! - "This Town Isn't Big Enough For Both Of Us" hat mich direkt richtig abgeholt. - Alles vollkommen schräg, kreativ, progressiv und gleichzeitig sehr schön melodiös. Mit anderen Worten nicht nur artsy der crazy Progressionen wegen, sondern auch interessiert an Melodie. Mag sowas sehr gern. - Vieles hat auch so leichte Varieté Musical Vibes. Das fand ich auch toll. - Ich finde die klingen ein bisschen so, als ob man Rush ein bisschen zu lange allein auf dem Jahrmarkt gelassen hätte. (Als großer Rush Fan ist das ein großes Kompliment). - Ein bisschen hab ich mich auch an ELO erinnert gefühlt (die ich auch liebe). - Fand irgendwie fast jeden Song richtig geil, habe ich gar nicht erwartet und bin schockiert, dass ich vorher nie von denen gehört habe. Mit dem einen David Ackles Album zusammen ist Kimono My House hier wahrscheinlich der größte Überraschungserfolg bei mir. Rating: 4,5/5
weird and cheesy and fun 4s? Time will tell.
Early Queen meets T-Rex meets Rocky Horror. Likely an influence on Kate Bush, Gaga, Chappell Roan Music for theater kids
Mostly annoying.
Som vanligt hög kvalitet, men vafan?
I think this will have to grow on me but I like it!
Back when men dressed like real men
This list ain't big enough for the both of us.
I have a very hard time with 70s glam rock, but my friends told me it was a good one!
The Good: Amazing cover art! The Bad: Not a huge fan of the female lead singer… The Ugly: Turns out the lead singer is a he with massive falsetto… So, I tried liking the album. Listened to it twice, while doing some simple work so that I could focus on the music, the artistry, the all… and then I realized that I never liked glam rock to begin with, so why change now? This is just not my cup of tea… maybe tomorrow I might change my mind, but I doubt it… Hi, this is me tomorrow, and while I am giving the album a third spin the thoughts that pop into my head are: at times this sounds like ABBA, I can also understand why people are heralding this album as being fun, as it does have “spark”… But still no fan... 3* to play safe!
I am just completely baffled as to how I have never even heard OF this. I feel like I’m in a weird alternate universe and I’m questioning everything I think I know. I get that this isn’t for everyone, but shouldn’t it be one of the most frequently mentioned albums of all time? I think I’m in shock. (ntm.)
Showy, campy, high-energy, silly – this records is all of these things and more. Just not very good.
Yeah this was good! You forgot that Sparks have some psuedo-hits
I can't really stand that voice, sorry. Smacks of being weird for the sake of it, which works for a couple of songs but a whole album really tests your endurance.
Fine
Interesting and they said it was an influence on Queen
eh it's ok
Honestly one of my most pleasant surprises on here. Very theatrical, very glam, very hooky, with some lovely proggy influences sprinkled in there.
Weird, unique, different, fun - I haven't heard about this band before but this is an excellent glam rock album. Island records released so many great albums in the late 60s and 70s, anything they released at that time simply can't be wrong.
The interesting thing about doing this 1001 album thing for so long is that you start to develop a good sense of the quality of the music prior to listening solely based on the album art. You know how they say you can't judge a book by its cover? Well... you can with an album most times. This wasn't really great; maybe I didn't get it. 4/10.
Didn’t know what to expect from the album cover, but this is really good. Russell’s range is incredible. Very fun listen.
I've known of Sparks for a while now, but never listened. I wasn't even sure what type of music they played. It reminds me of certain types of queen songs but pushed through an indie rock lens. Very cool actually and I'll be coming back.
Hearing the vocals, I honestly assumed the two Japanese women on the cover were the band. Good thing I tend to have a look at the Wikipedia most days. That's not why I'm giving it 2* though, I just found it a bit annoying
Crap
non mi ha fatto impazzì....
I thought I liked Sparks. pretty good - I didn't realize they had som many albums. The positive is that the album is timeless 0 in regards to not sounding 50 years old. Not bad
Album 572 of 1001 Sparks - Kimono My House (1974) Rating : 3.5 / 5 I like some good glam rock and this qualifies. A good listen. It is what it is, so don't expect something that will change the world. Fun tracks and some good musicianship. One to hold on to.
I was surprised. Misled by the cover, I had expected more K-pop. I found the album quite funny and cheerful. It won't appear in my daily stream, but it was fun. 3/5
Kind of like ABBA, but worse?
Had no idea about this album prior but I liked it! higher than a 3 but not quite 4
3.75
If you don't like Sparks we can't be friends. I listened to every single one of Sparks' 27 or so albums over a period of months ahead of seeing them live finally last year. There's undoubtedly a few duds, but I absolutely do not regret it, and you should do it too.
What a sparking collection of songs. Bought the album after the singles had run through and heard a few other tracks on the radio. Thought it very good at time but have appreciated it more over the years and with it being presented as the latest in the list it is one of the few to get a back to back play. There is plenty to digest.